Birds with friends

Despite being a cute and cuddly little game, Tiny Wings is more likely to produce yells and grimaces than ear-to-ear smiles.

On the one hand, it's a delightful experience. With its twee watercolour graphics and chirpy soundtrack, only the most cold-hearted gamer will be able to withstand its sugar-coated charm attack.

It's all about plump baby birds with scrappy little wings who aren't aerodynamic enough to actually fly. Instead, they dive into downhill slopes (when you hold a finger on the touchscreen) before launching off the crest (when you let go) to savour a fleeting few seconds of flight.

Its a game about rhythm and flow, in which you have to be in tune with the motion and speed of your birds and make quick calculations about when to make your next dive.

Tiny tempah

At the same time, Tiny Wings can be maddening. One ill-timed tap can cause your bird to stop dead in its tracks, and your pitiful acceleration means it takes precious seconds to get going again. Bad taps are so ruinous that it's often better to just restart.

Tiny Wings has the sort of frustration that causes you to invent new swear words. It's a game where reward is dangled at the end of hours of practice and persistence. If you want instant satisfaction, look elsewhere.

This HD version has the classic Endless mode from before, but adds the level-based Flight School. Here, you race against your three computer-controller siblings, to see who can reach the end first.

Wing nut

These levels feel distinctly more designed. In fact, they're not so much about reacting to the crests and valleys as about learning the complex terrain of each level so that you don't get caught off-guard by a sky-scraping mountain or a series of puddles.

They don't quite have the purity of Wings's Endless mode. Also, by having other birds to race against, this mode helps demonstrate how much you suck, in a much more clear and obvious way.

Finally, this HD edition adds Hill Party, which offers multiplayer face-offs on the same device. It's a fun five-minute distraction from the horrors of modern life.

Tiny Wings can be a wholly satisfying experience, if you're willing to put up with a few hours of frustration and failure. This HD edition adds enough to placate Wings veterans, but won't do much for gamers who were put off by the original's steep learning curve.